Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-28

lie could not lift them These chunks, he said.
we're as pure as his big nugget, and that not
only held in my hand. but saw the ceTtlflcate
of assay reoiing that it was 81 per cent. pure
gold He sold it at the mint in San Francisco
for over $I2 O}o and that in my presence In
the course of three or four days the captain
piled up such heap Of gold on his island that
he dared not estimate its value. There was
enough to make a dozen men rich for life,
and more TO be had with picks and iron bars.
Then the demon of avarice would not let
him wait any longer for rescue. Indeed, he
did not want to be rescued. He made
his raft ready. cut branches and pulled
grass TO hide his nuggets, and set sal!
with a fair wind to the northeast, hoping to
get into the track If ships bound for the
Sandwich Islands re was picked up as |
have told YOU and was taken to the Sandwich
Islands as a caStaway and thence, WITH
money found On his unknown island, he paid
his passage 10 San Francisco. It was at this
latter port he found me. and within two
hours after meeting him | had his story. L
had no reason 70 doubt its entire truth.
Three or four others were taken into the
secret. and we formed a syndicate 10 go after
the gold / had had a legacy Of 5000 from
an aunt, and five OF Us Clipped IN on equal
amount and bought G schooner end fitted her
out and manned her. Something OF Capt.
lVheaton's wonderful adventure got into the
papers, and there was great anxiety to find
OUT where We were going. We had ten times
- many nlcn offer their services as we could
accept. and when the story of the big lump
Of gold was whispered around two other
craft fitted ont to follow Us. We went out
Of the harbor on a dark and stormy night,
and two or three days before We were sup
posed TO be ready. and thus gave them the
sliD. Oae of the vessels stood up the coast
when ready to come out, and the other
headed for the Sandwich Islands and was lost
In a gale.
As the captain had 50, 900 in the enterprise,
and had not even waited to visit his family,
who were only 250 miles from San Francisco,
the reader must credit him with honestly be-
Tcving all he asserted. As | had an equal
amount invested, the reader must believe that
| am writing of things as they honestly
looked to ne. How could | or any one else
disbelieve There was the nugget, there the
paiers and relics. and the English captain
knew of the raft and its lone passenger being
ricl,ed I'd 100 miles from any known land.
There wasn't the least difficulty in making
others believe. either. think we could have
raised 5000 capital if there had been need
Of it. The trouble was to keep capitalists
ana spectators out.
wheaton had no sooner been rescued than
he asked for the EngliShman's latitude and
longitude. Then he figured on the direction
and strength of the wind and the progress OF
his raft. and be had the location Of his island
down to within five miles have had miners
and biologists tel me That no gold was ever
found in a volcanic upheaval from the sea. If
not, where did the captain get that big lump!
There is no gold on any charted island III the
Pacific and he certainly could not have drift
ed to or put off on his raft from the coast of
South America. II is easy enough to sheer
al, a story but not SO easy to get around cold
facts.
We had a fine run to Honolulu, and re
manned there for a week to make some needed
repairs and lay in more provisions and water.
Capt Wheaton there met q fellow captain
named Bridges, who commanded a New Bed
ford whaler and without SUSPICION Of what
he was doing this man greatly discouraged
us He had Just come in from a long cruise,
which the chart showed must have taken him
very near The unknown island. he had not
sighted it, but the lOgbOOk reported that
when in that neighboihood something like an
earthquake had occurred. Indeed, one did
occur and new island was born TO the Cal
apagos Group The ship rocked violently in
lniG-oceau. and sort of tidal wave came
near being her destruction Next day the
whaler encountered many green trees float
inc about, and he said to Capt. Wheaton that
he had no doubt some island had been over
vhelmed. He had no suspicious OF our er-
rand. and related the above simply as an adj
venture However, from that hour we all
lost heart Figure as we would We could not
shake of the conviction that it was the I'M
known island which had been destroyed in
the same manner it was born.
After a long and tedious run from the
Sandwich Islands We finally drew near the
location Then for days and days we sailed
to and fro. and at length realized that the
island had gone Il was not there to enrich
US and to prove the captains story, hut still
we found proofs We discovered moro than
100 trees floating about as we sailed this way
aud that. and after we had given up all
hopes we made still greater find. The boat
which Wheaton had made ard lost turned M
there or that vast eIpanSe of sea 1t was
sighted from the masthead one morning, and
two hours later We had it alongside 1t was
waterio-ged, but floating well enough for all
that. and its find was the strongest link in
tie whole chain We h0isted her op board
and brought her to San Francisco to exhibit
10 the silent stockholders in our enterprise,
and that relic was the only thing We could
show them
That's my story, gentlemen, and if you're
unsatisiiad You are no worse of than your
humble servant. who lost his all in the vent
1,ra New York SIM